A series of interviews about life and how we live it
In the 13th episode of The Family of Things, Helen Shaw meets Peter Gallagher, who is at the forefront of cutting edge astrophysics research in Ireland. Peter leads solar physics and space weather research at Trinity College Dublin, and he talks about his work at Birr Castle and how he wants to connect Ireland’s unique space research history with a promising future.
In this 12th episode of The Family of Things, Helen Shaw meets Vivienne DeCourcy, the writer and director of the new feature film ‘Dare to be Wild’. Vivienne, a former lawyer, began writing scripts after surviving cancer and she talks about her instinctive relationship with the outdoors and nature from her childhood.
In Episode 11 of The Family of Things, Helen Shaw’s guest is performer and accidental activist Rory O’Neill AKA the Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss. Rory talks about his memoir ‘Woman in the Making’ and his personal journey from growing up in rural Ireland to become a ‘national treasure’ as the drag queen Panti who he says has become a sort of ‘avatar for change’.
The Family of Things podcast series
The Family of Things is an audio transmedia project from award winning production company Athena Media about ideas, life and how we live it. In the audio podcast series, released via RSS and iTunes, Presenter/Producer Helen Shaw talks to people about their life journey, what forms them, informs them and what drives them forward.
“Every week in my job I meet someone I would love to sit down with and talk in d
epth. Often I just get to chat about the day and never get the opportunity to take an hour and explore the questions that define us. That curiosity, that wonder made me create The Family of Things”
-Helen Shaw
The project takes its name from the closing line of the Mary Oliver poem ‘Wild Geese’.
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.’
Listen to the Podcast
Latest Podcast: Peter Gallagher
Helen Shaw’s guest in this edition of the The Family of Things podcast is Irish scientist and astrophysicist Professor Peter Gallagher.
Peter leads solar physics and space weather research at Trinity College Dublin. He researches the Sun, in particular solar storms and their impact on Earth. He is Director of the Rosse Solar Terrestrial Observatory at Birr Castle and leads the Irish LOFAR radio telescope project. His cutting edge work at Birr Castle connects Ireland’s space research history with its future since the 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845 constructed the biggest telescope in the world – Leviathan – and identified the whirl pool galaxy.
Download previous podcasts of The Family of Things on iTunes or subscribe to our RSS feed.
How to Subscribe 
A podcast is a series, either audio or video, which you can subscribe to via an RSS feed. It is a digital publication allowing you to subscribe and receive downloads as each episode is released. You can listen to the audio episodes of The Family of Things here on the website or you can download via our RSS feed or through iTunes. iTunes is one of the most popular ways to access podcasts. To find out more visit Podcasting Ireland.
Athena Media
Athena Media is a transmedia company based in Dublin and Manchester and has produced award winning content since 2004. Athena Media also runs Podcasting Ireland, a podcasting portal and resource for Ireland. Please see our contact page for enquiries about Athena Media or The Family of Things.
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